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2018 Mustang vs. Nissan Leaf

shogun32

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The active Rev Match in the GT works great with a 6MT. I leave it on by default but try to beat it with manual throttle blipping. It finishes the job when I'm off target. The 2019 EB doesn't have it but the 2020 EB does in some trims (all?) It's a simple toggle if you don't want it.
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ice445

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Thanks, I knew there were updates in 2018 but I did not know they updated it again for 2019. I am thinking the active rev matching would be nice but I have never driven a car with that before. Does it work well or just get in the way?
I love it, it works perfectly. Best implementation I've seen, actually.
 

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I drove a cavalier for like 6 years as my daily
Cavaliers are awesome. Never had to buy a new part for mine as the junkyards were full on Cavaliers/Sunfires with new parts on em haha.
 
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The plan today was to go test drive two manual GTs, one with the performance package and one without. Found a dealer about 50 miles away with both listed online, so I drove down there after 3 emails to confirm they had the cars there for me to test drive. Sure enough, after driving all the way down there they did not have either car. Only manual they did have was in the showroom with a blower and a ridiculous markup that they offered me a "killer deal" on in the low $60s but no offer to let me drive it, so a complete waste of my time basically. Pretty annoying after the three emails to confirm they had the cars before I drove out there.

Stopped by another dealership on the way home and they had a preowned manual 19 GT with the performance pack that I was able to test drive. I found the suspension on the performance pack to be softer then I was expecting. This is actually pretty good for me as I thought it would be super comfortable as a daily driver. The roads I drove on where in pretty good shape, so no big bumps but it seemed to soak up everything without drama. There was more body movement then I would actually like, but I would prefer to error on the side of comfort considering this will be a daily driver. The clutch in the GT was even lighter then I had been imagining as well. I could not really seem to figure out exactly where the bite point was, but it was super smooth and easy. I have never driven a car that seemed to smooth out the engagement so much. It is kind of wild. I am sure it will be great for my wife to learn on and I guess that it great for a daily driver too. I actually tried to do some harder quick shifts but it just seemed to soak it all up and give me a smooth drama-free shifts. I guess this is good, just not really what I am accustomed to and not quite as fun. Sometimes I want to be a ham fisted gorilla with a hammer you know. I did notice that the engine pulls power to keep you from going nuts after the shift. Probably the traction control that I was feeling. I guess I could turn it off if I wanted to have fun, just wish it would allow more then hint of squeal before it kicks in. I know it is saving me from myself and making it more accessible but...

Coming up on the first turn, with the clutch in, I downshifted the shifter to first gear and the engine revved up high for the auto rev matching. Wholly molly, I had forgotten it would do that and I guess I should not downshift so early coming up to a turn. Apparently, I have a bad habit of moving the shifter into the gear I am going to need well before the turn.. Never really paid any mind to that before. I will say that the downshifts were super smooth with the auto rev match seemed to work perfectly for me once I realized what was happening. Cool feature, I'm not sure if I would adjust my driving and use the feature or just turn it off and rev match manually as I have in the past.

Overall, pretty dang comfy and easy to drive but a bit less drama then I was hoping for. Can't get over how good the engine sounds. To me, she is glorious and I am pretty sure I will go Coyote and not Echoboost. I found the EB fun and think it is a great car, I'm just drawn to the Coyote. .

One question I had, how does everyone else feels the Magnaride compares to the Performance Pack? I'm imagining that the MagnaRide controls the body roll more but maintains the comfort. I am leaning to trying to find one with Mangaride, but maybe I would just be better off with stiffer anti roll bars and traditional shocks and springs. I would love it if I could make things a bit sharper and more direct.
 
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Rusherific

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I can't speak for how a mustang rides without magnaride, but I can say that it is fantastic with it. Really one of the best adaptive suspensions out there. If you want less body roll but still a comfortable DD I'm not sure why you wouldn't get it.
 

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I can't speak for how a mustang rides without magnaride, but I can say that it is fantastic with it. Really one of the best adaptive suspensions out there. If you want less body roll but still a comfortable DD I'm not sure why you wouldn't get it.
Just traded my 18 without magnaride that had a blower on it for a 19 without a blower and magnaride. Even my wife likes this car which is surprising. She HATED the 18. Said it was too bumpy...
 

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Magneride is worth it but very difficult to find paired with anything other than a high option car, at least 400A but usually 401A. Which means $$
 

shogun32

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There was more body movement then I would actually like, but I would prefer to error on the side of comfort considering this will be a daily driver.
the PP suspension isn't severe and does a decent job on compression. It's the rebound side that is lacking, esp out back. Which is what you observed as body roll and if you push the car harder, as 'float' or extra bounces.

The clutch in the GT was even lighter then I had been imagining as well. I could not really seem to figure out exactly where the bite point was
Steeda clutch spring will fix that right up.
I downshifted the shifter to first gear
that must have been one tight hairpin. 2nd gear pulls fine from the basement.

Unless you're going to drive on the track or real picky about how/what you want to car to do and intend to go aftermarket with the suspension, MR is a solid choice. And there is a set of lowering springs you can get for it and people seem to really like.
 
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Yeah, finding a MR is going to be tricky. Like you have said, they tend to be pretty highly optioned and expensive as a result. Also, there don't seem to be a ton of them. I think that is what I want though. Im now thinking that with COVID in swing early this year dealers were cautious and did not order many Mustangs from Ford, and now the inventories are pretty depleted. I think that is part of why people have seen their used values go up. Dealers realized they are still selling Mustangs but they did not order any from Ford 3 months ago when they needed to set allocation, so they are buying up preowened Mustangs wherever they can find them so they have a couple on the lot.

I did see some videos from Steeda on youtube where they showed their clutch spring last night. Looks like a nice cheap easy solution. Pretty cool.

Shogun, what you said about the rebound on the rear seems pretty dead on to me. At one point in the test drive, I got on the gas hard coming out of a tight turn to feel the back end move a bit and it dug down and then unloaded and floated a bit. That is part of what I was referring to when saying I wished it controlled the body a bit better. I also slalomed the car back and forth some to feel how well it could move the weight from one direction to the other and back while it started pretty controlled it struggled to shift back the other direction immediately and got a bit light and floaty when the weight really shifted one way or the other. I had thought that I could do stiffer anti sway bars to help, but maybe it is more of the rebound issue with the shocks being too soft to control the weight. Thanks for pointing this out Shogun, now that you said it, I can kind of look back and understand exactly what I was feeling better.
 

shogun32

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Hey, I'm but one in a sea of similar voices saying the same thing about the PP1 suspension. Don't try to solve damper problems with sway bars. A PP1 car with the rear dampers replaced with Bilstein B6 ($300) is the cheapest way to solve a good chunk of the problem and may suffice for as long as you own the car. Or till you get 'greedy' in the handling department.

A decently quick way to find a PP1 car with MR is to scout for non-premium cars with a MSRP over 45K.
 

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Is it possible to special order a GT to get MR without anything else you don't want? If you don't absolutely need it right away? I'm assuming low inventories dealers would be more willing right now to take custom orders, even those that usually don't want to. Aftermarket solutions like Bilsteins might solve the handling issues but may not meet your comfort standards, though I'm no expert on those specifically.
 
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Yeah, I have looked at optioning a new GT. Looks like if I want to do that, I should join the Mustang club so I can get the special pricing. Sorry, I already forgot what that program is called. I asked two dealers about ordering and one told me it would be 2-3 months and the other told me I would need to wait until the 2021 ordering book opened up. I love going on mountain drives when the leaves are changing and I had started to look forward to going in a new fun car this year instead of my wife's Mazda CX-5. Has me thinking of renting something fun if I'm not going to be getting something in time.

Still keeping my eyes open for what is available around me. There is a preowned one I like available in another state, brought that up to the wife and she was not thrilled with the idea of buying a used performance car from another state, which I get. I'm going to try to be patient for a bit. They sold enough Mustangs that I should be able to find what I want eventually.
 

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Yeah, finding a MR is going to be tricky. Like you have said, they tend to be pretty highly optioned and expensive as a result. Also, there don't seem to be a ton of them. I think that is what I want though. Im now thinking that with COVID in swing early this year dealers were cautious and did not order many Mustangs from Ford, and now the inventories are pretty depleted. I think that is part of why people have seen their used values go up. Dealers realized they are still selling Mustangs but they did not order any from Ford 3 months ago when they needed to set allocation, so they are buying up preowened Mustangs wherever they can find them so they have a couple on the lot.

I did see some videos from Steeda on youtube where they showed their clutch spring last night. Looks like a nice cheap easy solution. Pretty cool.

Shogun, what you said about the rebound on the rear seems pretty dead on to me. At one point in the test drive, I got on the gas hard coming out of a tight turn to feel the back end move a bit and it dug down and then unloaded and floated a bit. That is part of what I was referring to when saying I wished it controlled the body a bit better. I also slalomed the car back and forth some to feel how well it could move the weight from one direction to the other and back while it started pretty controlled it struggled to shift back the other direction immediately and got a bit light and floaty when the weight really shifted one way or the other. I had thought that I could do stiffer anti sway bars to help, but maybe it is more of the rebound issue with the shocks being too soft to control the weight. Thanks for pointing this out Shogun, now that you said it, I can kind of look back and understand exactly what I was feeling better.
Well I think there's two issues that led to the Mustang supply drying up, one was that problems with the 2020 Explorer meant that the Flat Rock plant was partially repurposed to correct some of the issues since the Chicago plant was overwhelmed. This reduced production somewhat. Then covid hit and shut the plant down entirely for almost 2 months. Couple that with covid strangely making everyone want to buy toys, and Mustangs have been extremely popular this summer. It's pretty interesting, actually. So what 2020 stock existed has mostly been bought up, and 2021's are going to trickle into dealers somewhat slowly as continued production line and supplier delays continue to affect the auto industry.
 
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With the price I am looking at raising to the level is has, my wife has asked for me to go drive some other new cars in the same price range. She would prefer I go new considering it is a performance car and she does not want to buy something someone else abused and then abandoned. I understand her point, I just see more value in used cars and know that depreciation is often the greatest cost. Anyways, I am going to go drive a few other new cars so she knows I listen to her and respect her opinion.

She told me she likes the WRXs and suggested I go for an STI without the wing, so I went and test drove one yesterday. I had been imagining it as having bad turbo lag, then a burst of power that died off before redline, which I find frustrating to drive in traffic. My old WRX was that way to some extent and I thought I had read the STIs were even more so. In actuality, the throttle response is very good and it feels eager to rev and quick. Partial throttle is much more responsive then what I am used to in turbo cars. There is still the surge of power, which does seem to die off well to me, but the partial throttle response is actually really good and it makes the STI feel quick and responsive.

I found the steering in the STI to be fantastic too. I am guessing it is tighter then most people would actually like, and my wife would hate it, but I loved it. The tight ratio steering makes the car feel really responsive and you can actually feel the road very well through the hydraulic steering rack. It seems light and like you just want to toss it into turns. This is really the biggest difference in feel to the Mustang to me. The suspension in the STI is much stiffer then the performance pack Mustangs I drove and transmits all the little bumps and road imperfections through to the driver. While it is borderline on the livable side of compliance for me, my wife will certainly find it bumpy and ruff riding. Not just a little less comfortable then the Mustang but a big difference. I would guess a Mustang with the PP on a smoothish gravel road would feel about like how the STI felt on the roads around my area. I knew the STI would be stiffer, but the ride was worse then I had pictured going in.

The transmission in the STI has short gear ratios and you end up shifting the car a lot. It has a tiny little short shifter and I had a ball banging through the gears. The clutch is light, but you have more of a traditional bite point then I could feel in the 18+ GTs. It would be harder for my wife to drive smoothly then the Mustang, but probably a bit more fun. Visibility in the STI was really good and it felt like a practical car with a reasonable trunk and back seats, though I don't really need back seats. AWD makes winter in my area easier, but I'm not afraid of RWD in snow if I have snow tires. The price on the STI is significantly less then what the Mustang GT would cost me optioned how I want it. The STIs also hold their value really well in my area, though Mustangs sure seem to be killing it in the resale market right now. Overall, I liked it and lot and it felt like a fun quick car to me. Very responsive, but I don't think my wife will like it as much once she has ridden it in. The motor is soo crazy old, I was going to test drive it to make my wife happy but I like the STI a lot and the price is compelling at the moment. I'm going to keep it on the list but have my wife ride in one as that may kill it.

I am also going to go test drive a new Mazda MX-5(Miata), a Camaro, a Kia Stinger, and the Hyundai Veloster N. I may go drive a Challenger too. I really like their looks, but they are even more expensive for the 392 that I would want. Also thinking of finding a manual C7 Corvette for a test, though I don't own any gold chains and I'm not looking to cheat on my wife. It probably makes little sense as a daily driver for me but I do like them in theory.
 

ice445

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With the price I am looking at raising to the level is has, my wife has asked for me to go drive some other new cars in the same price range. She would prefer I go new considering it is a performance car and she does not want to buy something someone else abused and then abandoned. I understand her point, I just see more value in used cars and know that depreciation is often the greatest cost. Anyways, I am going to go drive a few other new cars so she knows I listen to her and respect her opinion.

She told me she likes the WRXs and suggested I go for an STI without the wing, so I went and test drove one yesterday. I had been imagining it as having bad turbo lag, then a burst of power that died off before redline, which I find frustrating to drive in traffic. My old WRX was that way to some extent and I thought I had read the STIs were even more so. In actuality, the throttle response is very good and it feels eager to rev and quick. Partial throttle is much more responsive then what I am used to in turbo cars. There is still the surge of power, which does seem to die off well to me, but the partial throttle response is actually really good and it makes the STI feel quick and responsive.

I found the steering in the STI to be fantastic too. I am guessing it is tighter then most people would actually like, and my wife would hate it, but I loved it. The tight ratio steering makes the car feel really responsive and you can actually feel the road very well through the hydraulic steering rack. It seems light and like you just want to toss it into turns. This is really the biggest difference in feel to the Mustang to me. The suspension in the STI is much stiffer then the performance pack Mustangs I drove and transmits all the little bumps and road imperfections through to the driver. While it is borderline on the livable side of compliance for me, my wife will certainly find it bumpy and ruff riding. Not just a little less comfortable then the Mustang but a big difference. I would guess a Mustang with the PP on a smoothish gravel road would feel about like how the STI felt on the roads around my area. I knew the STI would be stiffer, but the ride was worse then I had pictured going in.

The transmission in the STI has short gear ratios and you end up shifting the car a lot. It has a tiny little short shifter and I had a ball banging through the gears. The clutch is light, but you have more of a traditional bite point then I could feel in the 18+ GTs. It would be harder for my wife to drive smoothly then the Mustang, but probably a bit more fun. Visibility in the STI was really good and it felt like a practical car with a reasonable trunk and back seats, though I don't really need back seats. AWD makes winter in my area easier, but I'm not afraid of RWD in snow if I have snow tires. The price on the STI is significantly less then what the Mustang GT would cost me optioned how I want it. The STIs also hold their value really well in my area, though Mustangs sure seem to be killing it in the resale market right now. Overall, I liked it and lot and it felt like a fun quick car to me. Very responsive, but I don't think my wife will like it as much once she has ridden it in. The motor is soo crazy old, I was going to test drive it to make my wife happy but I like the STI a lot and the price is compelling at the moment. I'm going to keep it on the list but have my wife ride in one as that may kill it.

I am also going to go test drive a new Mazda MX-5(Miata), a Camaro, a Kia Stinger, and the Hyundai Veloster N. I may go drive a Challenger too. I really like their looks, but they are even more expensive for the 392 that I would want. Also thinking of finding a manual C7 Corvette for a test, though I don't own any gold chains and I'm not looking to cheat on my wife. It probably makes little sense as a daily driver for me but I do like them in theory.
It's a super bad time to buy an STI right now, just for the record. 2021 MY will have a different engine. EJ is going away, and a different variant of the FA20 is going in. This will likely lower resale on the older models substantially.
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